Abstract artist Nancy Amis display oil paintings in Navigation, a new exhibit of her works
from Staff Reports
Local artist Nancy Amis has an impressive list of experiences, accolades, and degrees. But why should we pay attention to her? Amis’s abstract paintings explore the vitality of color and paint. She defines and animates her shapes by using a palette knife to push and pull the paint to the object’s edge. Her work demonstrates what can be done with a palette knife and showcases her ability to command it.
Because her work is so relatable, Amis’s new exhibit Navigation, which is presented by Fabulon, A Center for Art and Education, is an invitation to comprehend and appreciate the abstract concept. Evocative of doors and houses, Amis creates space and depth and a sense of familiarity and safety much like the sight of a shoreline on a foggy day. Although bright, glowing, and colorful, her work depicts the loss of place and the desire to find a home. “Ultimately, one hopes that a door will lead home,” says the artist.
New, large works and smaller pops of color pieces will be exhibited at as part of Navigation, which opens with an artist’s reception from 5-8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 9 at the Gallery at Avondale Therapy on Savannah Highway. The space is an ideal location for contemporary art with its concrete floors, high white walls, and dramatic lighting.
Amis moved from Baltimore to Charleston in 2007. Prior to relocating to the Lowcountry, she attended Maryland Institute College of Art and received her Master of Fine Arts degree in painting. She also taught Art Appreciation at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania. Locally, she’s worked for the Gibbes Museum of Art and at the Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry. Amis also taught Art at Trident Academy and is currently teaching Art at The University School of the Lowcountry.
Amis has exhibited her works in group, juried, and solo shows in her home state of Pennsylvania, as well as Maryland, New York, and South Carolina. She is included in many private and public collections.
Among Amis’s many publications is The Orphans of Normandy, a collection of children’s drawings telling a true story of World War II. Amis retraced the heroic journey of these refugees, collected stories from first hand witnesses, and was entrusted with the original drawings. It is the ultimate story of Navigation, which will be on display through March 30.
Nancy Amis’s exhibit Navigations opens with an artist’s reception on Saturday, Feb. 9, frim 5-8 p.m. at Avondale Therapy, located at 815 Savannah Hwy., Suite #101. For more information, contact Fabulon at (843) 566-3383 or visit www.facebook.com/fabulonart.
